Publications
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Minaya, V., Moore, B.,* & Scott-Clayton, J. (2023) The Effect of Job Displacement on College Enrollment: Evidence from Ohio. Economics of Education Review vol. 92. Also NBER working paper No. 27694.
Minaya, V., & Scott-Clayton, J. (2022). “Labor Market Trajectories for Community College Graduates: How Returns to Certificates and Associate’s Degrees Evolve Over Time.” Education Finance and Policy 7 (1): 53–80.
Scott-Clayton, J., & Schudde, L. (2020). The Consequences of Performance Standards in Need Based Aid: Evidence From Community Colleges. Journal of Human Resources, 55(4): 1105-1136.
Scott-Clayton, J., & Zafar, B. (2019). Financial aid, debt management, and socioeconomic outcomes: Post-college effects of merit-based aid. Journal of Public Economics, 170: 68-82.
Murphy, R.J., Scott-Clayton, J., & Wyness, G. (2019). The End of Free College in England: Implications for Quality, Enrolments, and Equity. Economics of Education Review, 71: 7-22.
Scott-Clayton, J. & Wen, Q.* (2019). Estimating Returns to College Attainment: Comparing Survey and State Administrative Data Based Estimates. Evaluation Review, 43 (5): 266-306.
Park, R. S. E.,* & Scott-Clayton, J. (2018). The impact of Pell Grant eligibility on community college students’ financial aid packages, labor supply, and academic outcomes. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 40(4), 557-585.
Schudde, L., & Scott-Clayton, J. (2016). Pell Grants As Performance-Based Aid? An Examination of SAP Requirements in the Nation’s Largest Need-Based Aid Program. Research in Higher Education, 57(8): 943-967.
Page, L., & Scott-Clayton, J. (2016). Improving College Access in the United States: Barriers and Policy Responses. Economics of Education Review, 51: 4-22.
Scott-Clayton, J., & Minaya, V.* (2016). Should We Subsidize Student Employment? Conditional Counterfactuals and the Outcomes of Work-Study Participation. Economics of Education Review, 52: 1-18.
Scott-Clayton, J. (2015). The Role of Financial Aid in Promoting College Access and Success: Research Evidence and Proposals for Reform. Journal of Student Financial Aid, 45(3): 7-22.
Scott-Clayton, J., & Rodriguez, O.* (2015). Development, Discouragement, or Diversion? New Evidence on the Effects of College Remediation. Education Finance and Policy, 10(1): 4–45.
Scott-Clayton, J., Crosta, P.*, & Belfield, C. (2014). Improving the Targeting of Treatment: Evidence from College Remediation. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 36(3), 371-393.
Dynarski, S.M., & Scott-Clayton, J. (2013). Financial Aid Policy: Lessons From Research. The Future of Children, 23(1): 67-92.
Scott-Clayton, J. (2012). What Explains Trends in Labor Supply Among U.S. Undergraduates? National Tax Journal, 65(1): 181-210.
Scott-Clayton, J. (2011). The Causal Effect of Federal Work-Study Participation: Quasi-Experimental Evidence From West Virginia. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 33(4): 506-527.
Hughes, K., & Scott-Clayton, J. (2011). Assessing Developmental Assessment in Community Colleges: A Review of the Literature. Community College Review, 39(4): 327-351.
Scott-Clayton, J. (2011). On Money and Motivation: A Quasi-Experimental Analysis of Financial Incentives for College Achievement. Journal of Human Resources, 46(3): 614-646.
Dynarski, S.M., & Scott-Clayton, J. (2006). The Cost of Complexity in Federal Student Aid: Lessons from Optimal Tax Theory and Behavioral Economics. National Tax Journal, 59(2): 319-356.
Book Chapters
Dynarski, S., Page, L. C., & Scott-Clayton, J. (2023). College Costs, Financial Aid, and Student Decisions. In Handbook of the Economics of Education, vol. 7 (in press), edited by Eric Hanushek, Steven Machin, and Ludger Woessmann. Elsevier. Also see NBER Working Paper No. 30275.
Dynarski, S., Nurshatayeva, A., Page, L. C., & Scott-Clayton, J. (2023). Addressing Non-Financial Barriers to College Access and Success: Evidence and Policy Implications. In Handbook of the Economics of Education, vol. 6, edited by Eric Hanushek, Steven Machin, and Ludger Woessmann, pp. 319-403. Elsevier. Also see NBER Working paper No. w30054.
Minaya, V., & Scott-Clayton, J (2019). “Labor Market Outcomes and Postsecondary Accountability: Are Imperfect Metrics Better than None?” In Productivity in Higher Education, edited by Caroline Hoxby and Kevin Stange. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Dynarski, S.M., & Scott-Clayton, J. (2017). “Tax Benefits for College Enrollment.” In The Economics of Tax Policy, edited by Alan Auerbach, Kent Smetters, and Len Burman. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Scott-Clayton, J. (2015). “The Shapeless River: Does a Lack of Structure Inhibit Students’ Progress at Community Colleges?” In Decision Making for Student Success: Behavioral Insights to Improve College Access and Persistence, edited by Sandy Baum, Benjamin Castleman, and Saul Schwartz. London: Routledge.
Scott-Clayton, J. (2013). “Information Constraints and Financial Aid Policy.” In Student Financing of Higher Education: A Comparative Perspective, edited by Donald Heller and Claire Callender. London: Routledge International Studies in Higher Education.
Dynarski, S.M., Scott-Clayton, J., & Wiederspan, M. (2013). “Simplifying Tax Incentives and Aid for College: Progress and Prospects.” In Tax Policy and the Economy, vol. 27, edited by Jeffrey R. Brown. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Dynarski, S.M., & Scott-Clayton, J. (2008). “Complexity and Targeting in Federal Student Aid: A Quantitative Analysis.” In Tax Policy and the Economy, vol. 22, edited by James Poterba. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Research & Policy Reports
2022. The Fine Print on Free College: Who Benefits From New York’s Excelsior Scholarship? (with C.J. Libassi and Daniel Sparks). Learning Curve Report. Washington, DC: Urban Institute.
2018. What accounts for gaps in student loan default, and what happens after. Evidence Speaks Reports 2(57). Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution.
2018. “The looming student loan default crisis is worse than we thought.” Evidence Speaks Reports 2(34). Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution.
2017. “Lessons from the end of free college in England” (with Richard Murphy and Gillian Wyness). Evidence Speaks Reports 2 (13). Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution.
2017. “Undergraduate Financial Aid in the United States.” Primer commissioned by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Commission on the Future of Undergraduate Education.
2016. “Black-white disparity in student loan debt more than triples after graduation,” (with Jing Li). Evidence Speaks Reports 2 (3). Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution.
2016. “Early Labor Market and Debt Outcomes for Bachelor’s Degree Recipients: Heterogeneity by Institution Type and Major, and Trends Over Time.” A CAPSEE Working Paper. July 2016.
2014. “Remedial Placement Testing in Community Colleges: What Resources are Required, and What Does it Cost?” (with Olga Rodriguez, Brooks Bowden, and Clive Belfield) Community College Research Center Working Paper No. 73.
2013. “Redesigning the Pell Grant Program for the Twenty-First Century” (with Sandy Baum). Hamilton Project Discussion Paper 2013-04. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution.
2013. “Rethinking Pell Grants” (with Sandy Baum, Thomas Bailey, Eric Bettinger, Susan Dynarski, Arthur Hauptman, Harry Holzer, James Jacobs, Kathleen Little, Bridget Terry Long, Michael McPherson, James Rosenbaum, Donald Saleh, and Sarah Turner). New York: The College Board.
2012. “Beyond Need And Merit: Strengthening State Grant Programs” (with Sandy Baum, David W. Breneman, Matthew M. Chingos, Ronald G. Ehrenberg, Pamela Fowler, John Hayek, Donald E. Heller, Allison G. Jones, David A. Longanecker, Tim Nesbitt, Sarah E. Turner, Jane V. Wellman, and Grover “Russ” Whitehurst). Report from the Brookings Institution State Grant Aid Study Group. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution.
2012. “Do High-Stakes Placement Exams Predict College Success?” Community College Research Center Working Paper No. 41.
2011. “Institutional Variation in Credential Completion Among Young Career-Technical Students: Evidence from Washington State Community and Technical Colleges,” (with Madeline Weiss). Community College Research Center Working Paper No. 33.
2011. “The Shapeless River: Does a Lack of Structure Inhibit Students’ Progress at Community Colleges?” CCRC Working Paper No. 25. New York: Columbia University.
2007. “College Grants on a Postcard: A Proposal for Simple and Predictable Federal Student Aid,” (with Susan Dynarski). Hamilton Project Discussion Paper 2007-01. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution.
Congressional Testimony and Other Formal Comments
2020 (September 17). Written and oral testimony to U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Full Committee Hearing. Time To Finish Fixing the FAFSA. Full video available here.
2019 (February 19). Open letter in response to a January 3 formal inquiry from Senators Jones, Warren, Harris, and Cortez Masto requesting input on reducing racial disparities in student debt.
2018 (September 23). Formal comment in response to the U.S. Department of Education's Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM), expressing grave concern regarding their proposal to weaken accountability for for-profit colleges (Docket ID: ED-2018-OPE-0042).
2017 (November 28). Testimony to U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Full Committee Hearing. Financial Aid Simplification: Why It Matters and Which Aspects Matter Most. Full video available here.
2015 (June 3). Testimony to U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Full Committee Hearing. “Ensuring College Affordability: What Research Tells Us About Barriers and Potential Solutions.” Full video available here.
2013 (November 14). Testimony to U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Full Committee Hearing. “Ensuring Access to Higher Education: Simplifying Federal Student Aid for Today’s College Student.” Full video available here.
Blog Postings and Op-Eds
December 14, 2021. Why information alone is not enough to improve higher education outcomes (with Stephanie Cellini, Dominique Baker, and Lesley Turner). Brookings Institute – Brown Center Chalkboard Blog.
April 26, 2018. The tax benefits for education don’t increase education (with Susan Dynarski). Brookings Evidence Speaks.
March 29, 2018. Evidence-based reforms in college remediation are gaining steam – and so far living up to the hype. Brookings Evidence Speaks.
September 28, 2017. Thinking “beyond the box”: The use of criminal records in college admissions. Brookings Evidence Speaks.
June 22, 2017. Federal Work Study: Past its prime, or ripe for renewal? Brookings Evidence Speaks/ Education Next.
January 20, 2017. As Cuomo proposal rekindles free college movement, new research provides ammunition for skeptics. Brookings Evidence Speaks/ Education Next.
January 20, 2015. The Problem With Obama's "Free Community College" Proposal (with Thomas Bailey). Time.com.
June 20, 2014. There Is a Simpler Way for Students to Apply for Financial Aid (with S. Dynarski). NYT Upshot.
April 20, 2012. Are College Entrants Overdiagnosed as Underprepared? NYT Economix.
March 23, 2012. Who Shouldn’t Go To College? NYT Economix.
February 24, 2012. The Hidden Majority of For-Profit Colleges, NYT Economix.
January 27, 2012. Do Big-Time Sports Mean Big-Time Support for Universities? NYT Economix.
December 2, 2011. Student Loan Debt: Who Are the 1%? NYT Economix.
November 4, 2011. College Is Cheaper Than You Think. NYT Economix.
October 7, 2011.From Kindergarten to College Completion. NYT Economix.
September 9, 2011. A Jobs Program in Need of Reform. NYT Economix.
May 20, 2011. The Rise of the Five-Year Four-Year Degree. NYT Economix.
April 15, 2011. How Worrisome Is Student Debt? NYT Economix.
March 25, 2011. The Dark Side of Choice in Higher Education. NYT Economix.
February 25, 2011. The Merits of For-Profit Colleges. NYT Economix.
Feb. 23, 2011. Can Better Choice Architecture Improve College Completion Rates? TC Record.